Device to facilitate writing by the blind.



O. C. FROST.

DEVIGE T0 FACILITATE WRITING BY THE BLIND. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1909.

980,623. f Patented Jan.3,1911.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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DEVICE TO FACILITATE WRITING BY THE BLIND.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORIN C. F ROST, broker, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at 123 West Eighty-eighth street, in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices to Facilitate Writing by the Blind, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is designed to facilitate writing by the blind and to provide a very simple device permitting the convenient writing of letters by blind people, and providing means by which the writing will follow certain lines, the position of the lines being indicated by a mechanical device serving to direct and guide the writer.

My invention consists in a support for the paper which may be held in the writers lap for convenience, and this support preferably includes means for imparting a regular feed to the letter sheet or other paper, though this is not absolutely necessary.

Further, the invention includes one or more bars or rods suitably supported and extending across the space provided for the letter sheet or other paper which is to be passed beneath the rod or rods, and this rod or rods indicates to the writer the line which is to be followed. I prefer to use three of these rods which will provide for the name and address in writing a letter for instance, and when the last bar has been utilized the paper may be fed or pushed upwardly a certain determined distance and the letter continued, using the bottom bar as a guide. The invention also includes certain details of construction which will be described hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing-Figure 1 is a plan view of the tablet containing the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, and Fig. 8 shows a detail.

In the drawing A represents a board or table or support of any suitable material and of any convenient size to be held in the lap or otherwise. Three rods, a, have their ends supported in guides 6, these guides being held upon the plate A by screws, the rods a being so supported as to be held slightly above the base plate sufliciently to allow a sheet of paper, indicated at 0, to be passed freely beneath the same. A pair of feed rolls a1, 6, are suitably mounted in supports f, the lower roller having a pawl and ratchet connection 9, with a thumb lever h,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 26, 1909.

Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

Serial No. 485,965.

so as to permit of the convenient feeding of the paper a uniform distance in each depression of the lever h. The feed rolls may be of any ordinary or improved construction.

The cross bars are utilized to indicate to the blind person the line which he is to fol low in writing the letter or other communica tion. Three bars are shown, as this number is convenient in that the first bar can be used by the writer as the line upon which his correspondents name is to be written, the second bar to indicate the line where the address is to be written and the third line either to indicate where the remainder of the address is to be written, or the letter is to be begun. When the three spaces have thus been utilized, the lever 72, is depressed, the paper fed up the distance of one line and the Igontinuation of the letter follows the lower I do not limit myself as to the number of bars as one bar would be sufiicient, though I have found the series of bars to be of advantage.

It will be observed that the first bar is held rigidly at its ends, while the lower bars are supported in grooves Z) formed in the guides b and are held against one end of the grooves by springs b". I may make all the bars spring supported, or I may support them rigidly. The spring support is of advantage in that in writing it allows the pen or pencil to drop below the line in writing such letters as g, y, j. On the lower bar I provide a short section of coil spring 71 and this can be moved back and forth on the rod and used to indicate a stop in the letter or any interruption. I may utilize such a stop on each bar if found desirable.

What I claim is A device for facilitating writing by the blind comprising a support for the paper, guides mounted thereon, a bar extending from one guide to the other above said support whereby the paper may be passed between it and the support, a pair of co-acting feed rolls rotatably supported on said support adjacent the upper end thereof, said feed rolls being positioned to receive the paper therebetween, a ratchet operatively connected to one of said feed rolls and rotatable therewith, a pawl engaging said ratchet and a bell-crank lever mounted upon said support, and having one of its arms operatively connected to said pawl whereby as said lever is operated it will actuate the pawl and cause the latter to rotate the In testimony whereof I have signed my ratchet, thereby causing the feed rolls to adname to this specification in the presence of 10 Vance the paper, the other arm of said lever two subscribing Witnesses.

being provided with a finger engaging sur- 5 face whereby said lever may be operated, ORIN FROST said other arm being so proportioned that WVitnesses: said finger engaging surface Will be posi- WM. WALLACE WHITE,

tioned adjacent said bar. ELLA L. GILES. 

